Nor do we only arraign the existence of this Animal, but many things are questionable which are ascribed thereto, especially its unity, long life, and generation. As for its unity or conceit there should be but one in nature, it seemeth not only repugnant unto Philosophy, but also holy Scripture; which plainly affirms, there went of every sort two at least into the Ark of _Noah_, according to the Text, [SN: _Gen. 7._] _Every Fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort, they went into the Ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein there is the breath of life, and they that went in, went in both male and female of all flesh._ It infringeth the benediction of God concerning multiplication. God blessed them, saying, [SN: _Gen. 1._] _Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth:_ And again, [SN: _Chap. 8._] _Bring forth with thee every living thing, that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful and multiply upon the earth:_ which terms are not appliable unto the Phœnix, whereof there is but one in the world, and no more now living then at the first benediction. For the production of one, being the destruction of another, although they produce and generate, they encrease not; and must not be said to multiply, who do not transcend an unity. As for longævity, that it liveth a thousand years or more; beside that from imperfect observations and rarity of appearance, no confirmation can be made; there may be probable a mistake in the compute. For the tradition being very ancient and probably Egyptian, the _Greeks_ who dispersed the Fable, might summ up the account by their own numeration of years; whereas the conceit might have its original in times of shorter compute. For if we suppose our present calculation, the Phœnix now in nature will be the sixth from the Creation, but in the middle of its years; and if the _Rabbins_ Prophecie [SN: _That the World should last but six thousand years._] succeed, shall conclude its days not in his own but the last and general flames, without all hope of Reviviction.